For Those in Search of Silence and Solitude

"The respectful enjoyment of nature should be considered an important part of educational development. Whoever really wants to find himself must learn to savor nature, whose charm is intimately linked with the silence of contemplation."

"Intimacy with God is the ultimate meaning and profound calling of every human life. When, in his Church, Jesus Christ calls men or women to follow him, he makes his voice heard and his fascination felt by the inner action of the Holy Spirit, to whom he entrusts the task of making his call understood and of awakening the desire to respond to it with a life entirely dedicated to Christ and his kingdom."

"God’s presence in us is the basis of our existence. The road of interiority and contemplation is not for the chosen few, but for every authentic believer."

"People today especially need to rediscover the aspect of silence and prayer, an indispensable dimension for opening their hearts to God and their brothers and sisters."

"Christ is asking you to get to know him and to meet him, because after experiencing comforting intimacy with him, you will be able to proclaim the marvels of his love to all."

"May we in our daily lives break through the walls of the visible world in order to keep our eyes always and everywhere fixed on the Lord."

"To be with Jesus: this should be your great desire: to speak with him in a familiar way, to listen to him and follow him docilely: this is not only an understandable demand for whoever wants to follow the Lord; it is also an indispensable condition for all authentic and credible evangelization."

"How could we not feel surrounded by the love of God who opens before us the book of nature and invites us to read there the signs of his presence and tenderness? Far from daily life, which is often frantic and unfortunately sometimes alienating, in this delightful mountain spot we have the opportunity to rediscover the grandeur of God and man in the beauty of creation, and we are invited to achieve a fuller harmony with the Artisan of the universe."

"Closeness to Christ in silence and contemplation does not distance us form our contemporaries but, on the contrary, makes us attentive and open to human joy and distress and broadens our heart on a global scale."